It’s been a long, tough battle, but as SCOTUS is expected to deliver favorable decisions regarding DOMA and Prop 8 today, a major victory is within reach. Thanks to the tireless efforts of diehard activists and average people from around the country, the landscape of LGBT equality in America could drastically change within hours.

Along the way, there were heroes, there were villains, and there were celebrities. A lot of celebrities.

We owe thanks in part to the hundreds of celebrities that used their public platform to push marriage equality further into the public eye and urge others to join the fight for equality. (Thanks, y’all!) We can’t tell you who made the biggest impact, but we can tell you who looked the best while trying!

So here they are, in no particular order, the 15 sexiest celebrities to endorse marriage equality:

Jack Antonoff

“Hey! I’m Jack Antonoff from the band ‘fun.’ Touring around the country my bandmates and I are completely blown away by the love and support we get from our fans. And it’s completely insane to us that some of them aren’t afforded the same rights simply because they’re gay or lesbian. Join me, my band mates and the majority of Americans in the fight for marriage equality nationwide.” [HRC’s Americans For Marriage Equality Campaign]

Beyonce

“If you like it you should be able to put a ring on it #wewillunite4marriageequality” [Instagram, Image: GQ]

Kristin Chenoweth

“I just want it [gay marriage] to hurry up and not be an issue anymore! I’m very proud of the work that has been done so far, I want us to hurry it up a bit more. I think it’s important to say this because a lot of people think if you’re religious or you have any sort of faith, you’re automatically against equality in marriage. I speak as a Christian person, and as a woman and as an artist. I would love nothing more for my friends who love each other to get married.” [Gay Star News, Image: abc]

Justin Timberlake

On the legalization of same-sex marriage in New York: “I was stoked. I mean, I was stoked that that happened. I think it’s just…we’re people and we’re different, all of us. And we should be using our differences to bring ourselves closer together. You know? Not be afraid of something that we don’t know. Like Mila said, and you know, I have a lot of guy friends who are gay. Two of my best friends are a couple, and my conversation with them is, like, it’s unfortunate that things take a while to progress like this, but it was a great, great victory for equality. I’m proud that New York has balls to stand up for what’s right.” [The Advocate]

Miley Cyrus

“I believe every American should be allowed the same rights and civil liberties. Without legalized same-sex marriage, most of the time you cannot share the same health benefits, you are not considered next of kin and you are not granted the same securities as a heterosexual couple. How is this different than having someone sit in the back of the bus because of their skin color?” [op-ed in Glamour]

Brad Pitt

“It is each American’s constitutional right to marry the person they love, no matter what state they inhabit. No state should decide who can marry and who cannot. Thanks to the tireless work of so many, someday soon this discrimination will end and every American will be able to enjoy their equal right to marriage.” [People Magazine]

Pink

Speaking about her ‘Raise Your Glass‘ video: “I threw my best friend’s wedding in my backyard — [she] is gay and she married her wife, and it was absolutely beautiful. At the end of it, her mom said, ‘Why can’t this be legal?’ and started crying. It was just the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever seen, so that’s why I’m doing it in my video.” [MTV News]

Josh Hutcherson

“My mom has always been a big advocate, especially in the gay, lesbian, transsexual and bisexual community so for me it’s always been a part of my soul.” [E! Online]

Ben Cohen

“It’s nice to be in love with someone, and of course you want to have that extra bond of being married and not perceived to be different. And that because you’re gay you can’t experience being married is wrong. For me being married is very important.” [speaking at London Pride]

Janelle Monae

“What does someone getting married to someone else have to do with you? What harm does it do to you? How does it become your business?” [Twitter]

Brendon Ayanbadejo

“I believe we should be doing everything we can to make families stronger, which is why I support marriage for gay and lesbian couples who want to make a lifetime commitment to each other. People from all walks of life, including gay and lesbian couples, want their children to be in stable homes, and protected under the law. Join me, and the millions of Americans that support marriage equality. It’s the right thing to do.” [RespectForMarriage campaign]

Anne Hathaway

“There are people who’ve said that I’m being brave for being openly supportive of gay marriage, gay adoption…with all due respect, I humbly dissent. I am not being brave; I’m a decent human being. Love is a human experience, not a political statement.” [2008 HRC Los Angeles Dinner, Image: Glamour

Jay-Z

“What people do in their own homes is their business, and you can choose to love whoever you love. That’s their business.” [CNN]

Kerry Washington

“This is a major turning point in the history of American civil rights”~Mayor Bloomberg on Obama & #MarriageEquality” YES! [Twitter]

Matthew Morrison

“I am an American for marriage equality. You know, America is supposed to be the land of freedom and opportunity, yet every day we are denying committed and loving gay and lesbian couples the freedom to get married. Why should anyone be told that their love isn’t worthy of marriage just because they are different? It doesn’t make sense. It is time for freedom to pertain to all Americans, not just some. Join me and the majority of Americans who support marriage equality nationwide.” [HRC’s Americans For Marriage Equality Campaign]

I’m a big Brad Pitt fan. But, I just have to say that this picture of him is from 2001 when he was on the cover of Vanity Fair. It is a bit of a stretch to include him in the “15 sexiest celebrities to endorse marriage equality” list if the photo is from when he was in his late 30s… and he is now 50 and looks like a different person.

As a reminder, Josh Hutcherson had 2 uncles that were gay. They both died of AIDS many years ago.

Kate Winslet also supports marriage equality, as does Natalie Portman and Alyssa Milano. They’re not necessarily big advocates – but they are indeed advocates. Don’t forget “Will & Sonny” Freddie Smith and Chandler Massey. I believe Jake Gyllenhaal would also be on the list.

I don’t know, don’t you think Kate Winslet is looking a little old to be on this list?

Jun 26, 2013 at 11:17 am · @Reply ·

Jim Guinnessey

Congratulations to all the outstanding and brave advocates of marriage equality in the USA. It has been an arduous and long battle against bigotry and religious intolerance in the USA.

Jun 26, 2013 at 11:38 am · @Reply ·

tardis

@John Doe: I think Brad Pitt is still a charming looking person. Well, we’re all going to get there one day. I’d still take him.

Jun 26, 2013 at 12:20 pm · @Reply ·

Tackle

@John Doe is not being age-phobic at all. He’s just expressing his preference. I happened to love the way Brad. Pitt looks now. More-so then that pic & the way he looked ten yrs ago. Would I be accused ot being young-phobic? If anything I say Queerty is doing muture men a deservice. By giving out the message that for one to be sexy , they have to be young. Why not include a picture of Brad as he looks today. Lines, wrinkles and all? Which in his case they look beautiful & he wears so well.

Seriously, the two most important issues we, as part of the LGBT community NEED to work on RIGHT NOW are within our own ranks: ageism and barebacking. If guys keep barebacking, they would turn old enough to experience age discrimination, and ageism (“dude, you’re older than my father”) HAS TO STOP. At least don’t be so cruel to us. What the younger generation of LGBT DOESN’T realize is that the “over 50″ crowd has friend who have been dead somewhere between 23 and 28 years. They didn’t have to attend funerals regularly, act as pallbearers, deal with parents of friends AND relatives (3 cousins, in my case) who wanted “that AIDS thing” hushed up (“feline leukemia”, “long term illness”, “cancer.”) And if you take 28 years off my age of 53, I was a whopping, hot-looking, 25 year old photographer back in 1985. But my friends were dropping like flies. And I feared I would join them.

So folks: cut the barebacking. Really. How fucking stupid can you be? And if you’re over 45 and HIV negative, rejoice in seeing what’s happening in today’s society. And we can tell the youngsters how fucking stupid barebacking is.

Feeling love for all our Allies celebs or just plain decent str8 folks who have supported our struggle.

On another note, I kind of feel like Miley is in the family. Love her either way!

To iBernard’s list I would add:
1. Anti-Bullying (still rough to be a lbgt kid)
2. Stop the hate crimes/beatings/murders of lbgt people
3.More and better senior care/services for our community
4. Specifically target Transphobia
5. Better acceptance of bisexuals in our communities
6. A hot dyke/trans/bi on this site once in awhile
7. Repoliticize gay pride
8. Begin a campaign to deport Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachman and the entire FOX hate propaganda community. :)

Seems like queerty was pretty dismissive of celebrities voicing their political opinions two weeks ago when it concerned Bradley Manning, writing “Just in case your political opinions are influenced by celebrities, actors, and activists…” and continued that celebrities have uninformed opinions and use their star power to “foist” them on the general public. Shouldn’t an equally dismissive disclaimer be attached to this post, or are celebrity opinions worthless only when they disagree with queerty’s?

Jun 27, 2013 at 12:56 am · @Reply ·

balehead

What does George Clooney think?….

Jun 27, 2013 at 8:53 am · @Reply ·

greenmusic23f

I clicked on a link that said the *creepiest* celebrities to endorse gay marriage. I liked this article ok, but I was very confused.

Jun 27, 2013 at 9:22 pm · @Reply ·

Hairspray_Harry

In Canada they won the right to marry years ago but the Tories are now taking revenge in the media with associating homosexual acts with perverts and padeophiles,homosexuals in canada are now paying the price of having a bigot as a prime minister!!!

The celebrities you guys have listed are awesome. I did not not know that several of these actors were supportive of GLBT causes and rights. We had a few listed on our site but your list is extensive. Bravo to the Queerty Team!